Deputy Director

Job summary

The Deputy Director (Band 8D) for Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) is a senior leadership role within [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal], accountable to the Chief Operating Officer and deputising for the Care Group Director. The role provides strategic and operational leadership across SDEC and urgent care pathways, ensuring safe, timely and effective care that reduces avoidable admissions and improves patient flow. The postholder leads a complex portfolio across organisational and system boundaries, working with acute trusts, ambulance services, primary care, community services and Integrated Care System partners. A core focus is ensuring patients are assessed and treated in the most appropriate setting, with a strong emphasis on same day pathways and alternatives to Emergency Department attendance. The role carries accountability for performance, finance, workforce and governance. The Deputy Director will drive transformation, redesign care pathways and embed innovative models to improve access, responsiveness and outcomes. They will promote a culture of continuous improvement, inclusion and co-production, ensuring services reflect the needs of diverse populations. The postholder will also participate in the senior on-call rota.

Main duties of the job

• Lead and deputise for the Care Group Director in the delivery of SDEC services, ensuring safe, effective and high-quality care.
• Drive improvements in patient flow, access and admission avoidance through optimised same day emergency care pathways.
• Ensure delivery of operational, quality and performance targets, using data to monitor performance, identify risks and implement improvement actions.
• Maintain financial control, delivering services within budget and identifying efficiency opportunities.
• Provide leadership to multidisciplinary teams, ensuring effective workforce planning, recruitment, supervision and development.
• Promote a culture of engagement, inclusion and continuous improvement.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships with acute trusts, ambulance services, primary care, community services and ICS partners to deliver integrated care pathways.
• Ensure compliance with all governance and regulatory requirements, including CQC standards.
• Oversee risk management, incident reporting and complaints handling, ensuring learning informs service improvement.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders, managing complex and sensitive issues, influencing across organisational boundaries and ensuring clear escalation processes.
• Contribute to Trust-wide objectives, including planning, quality improvement and service transformation, and participate in the senior on-call rota.

About us

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all.
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme.
• Excellent internal staff network.

Details

• Date posted: 30 April 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: 8d
• Salary: £100,493 to £114,951 a year per annum including HCAS
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 455-NLFT-0800
• Job locations: Chase Farm Hospital, The ridgeway, Chase Farm Hospital, Across all 5 boroughs of North London, EN2 8JL

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Deputy Director provides strategic and operational leadership across SDEC, ensuring delivery of high-performing urgent care services aligned to Trust and system priorities. They lead service planning, transformation and pathway redesign to improve flow, reduce delays and enhance patient outcomes. The role includes oversight of operational performance, ensuring delivery against key standards through data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement. The postholder holds responsibility for financial management, ensuring services operate within budget while delivering efficiency and productivity gains. They lead cost improvement programmes and optimise workforce and service models. Workforce leadership includes recruitment, retention, performance management and staff development, ensuring effective multidisciplinary teams and a positive culture of engagement and inclusion. The Deputy Director ensures strong governance arrangements, compliance with regulatory standards and effective risk management. They provide assurance to senior leadership and the Board. They work collaboratively with system partners to deliver integrated urgent care pathways and represent the Trust in external forums. The role also includes participation in the senior on-call rota, providing leadership during operational pressures.

Person Specification

Leadership

• Essential: Significant Senior Leadership Experience; Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing multidisciplinary teams, including workforce planning, recruitment and retention; Demonstrates visible, values-driven leadership with the ability to influence, inspire and engage staff at all levels; Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with experience managing senior stakeholders and leading through change; Experience of driving culture change, staff engagement and continuous improvement within services.
• Desirable: Experience presenting at Board level or representing organisation in high-profile settings; Experience specifically leading in crisis pathways; Clinical or professional registration (e.g. nursing, AHP, social work); Experience of working at system level.

Operational Performance & Financial Management

• Essential: Proven track record of delivering performance improvement against operational targets; Experience of managing large, complex budgets and delivering financial recovery programmes; Demonstrable experience of improving productivity, efficiency and service outcomes; Experience of leading service transformation and pathway redesign.
• Desirable: Experience of using benchmarking or system data to drive improvement.

Governance

• Essential: Experience of operating within governance frameworks, including understanding of CQC standards and regulatory requirements; Ability to provide operational assurance and oversight, working in partnership with Nursing and Medical and AHP colleagues to ensure safe and effective services; Experience of managing risk, incidents and complaints, ensuring learning is embedded and escalated appropriately.
• Desirable: Experience representing organisations in high-profile or sensitive environments (e.g. Coroner's Court, regulatory reviews, external scrutiny); Proven ability to influence across clinical, operational and partner organisations to resolve complex system challenges and competing priorities.

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Employer details

Employer name: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]

Address: Chase Farm Hospital, The ridgeway, Chase Farm Hospital, Across all 5 boroughs of North London, EN2 8JL

Employer's website: [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]